President Museveni on Wednesday launched his campaign in the Bugisu sub-region with a rally in Sironko District, using the event to directly counter one of FDC presidential flag bearer Nathan Nandala Mafabi’s key campaign narratives on coffee earnings.
Sironko, Nandala’s home district, became the first battleground of the President’s Elgon tour as Museveni sought to assert the NRM’s economic record and dismiss what he called “misleading narratives” about coffee prices in the region.
Museveni was received by NRM Second National Vice Chairperson Anita Annet Among, Eastern Regional Vice Chairperson Calvin Echodu, the party’s Secretary General, and several senior officials.
The district party leadership presented a memo highlighting both achievements and lingering service delivery gaps.
The document, delivered by Sironko Woman MP flag bearer Asha Nanulo Lumolo, called for the creation of Budadiri District, faster resettlement of landslide victims, and establishment of a district hospital.
The President unpacked the NRM manifesto before the crowd, showcasing regional progress in infrastructure, education, safe water, and electricity coverage, while acknowledging remaining challenges.
He urged residents to embrace government programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) to join the money economy and contribute to national growth.
“We have made gains in infrastructure development in the region, but unfortunately people don’t sleep on the roads,” Museveni said, noting that improving household incomes remained a priority.
In a rare direct jab at his opponent, Museveni dismissed Nandala Mafabi’s claim that the rise in coffee prices in Bugisu was due to his leadership at the Bugisu Cooperative Union (BCU).
“The coffee price is determined by the global market, particularly the shortfalls in Brazil due to drought,” the President said, partly crediting the gains to NRM-led agricultural research and farming improvement initiatives.
Nandala, who has long chaired BCU, has made the cooperative’s revival and improved farmer prices a key plank of his campaign in the Elgon region.
Museveni’s rebuttal appeared to target that message head-on, with the President emphasizing that sustained growth in coffee earnings depended on adding value rather than claiming credit for market fluctuations.
He pledged that if re-elected, his government would intensify efforts to promote value addition and processing to multiply returns “five-fold” through better standards, improved roasting facilities, and stronger export linkages.
Museveni’s speech centered on wealth creation, urging households across Bugisu to take advantage of ongoing government initiatives designed to boost productivity and increase incomes.
He reiterated that value addition in coffee, dairy, and grains remains the most reliable path to rural transformation.
Political observers said choosing Sironko as the launch point of his Bugisu campaign was a calculated move to confront Nandala on his home turf.
They noted that the President’s sharp response to the FDC candidate’s coffee narrative signals a more combative and issue-focused approach to opposition messaging in the region.
Museveni continues his Bugisu campaign today with rallies in Manafwa and Bulambuli before heading to other districts in the Elgon sub-region as the race toward the January 2026 elections intensifies.
